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Ceridwen J. Koski

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Immigration, Technology
Sports and Entertainment

Ceridwen Koski partners with clients to create and implement strategic and innovative workforce immigration solutions. Based on their particular challenges and goals, she helps employers create effective immigration programs. Her work also involves counseling organizations of all sizes through workforce immigration changes, including corporate reorganization, ramping-up, and reductions in force. She engages companies throughout the United States and globally, ranging from managing immigration programs on behalf of legacy multinational enterprises to assisting with business travel and work authorization.  As a leading immigration practitioner, Ceri is listed in Chambers USA and Super Lawyers and is a frequent speaker on immigration program management and compliance.

Her expertise includes:

  • Analyzing and developing immigration programs for employers in financial services, technology services, telecommunications, sustainable energy, healthcare, higher education, research & development, e-commerce, emerging technology, logistics, hospitality, build-design engineering, business process solutions, manufacturing, legal, creative art, sports, publishing, and advertising industries
  • Managing immigration programs involving temporary visas, green cards, and I-9 compliance on behalf of employers across industries
  • Driving emergency appointment and government liaison support in connection with immigration agency processing and backlogs
  • Securing Work From Home (WFH) and Remote Work immigration compliance
  • Engaging HSI investigators and government attorneys on behalf of employers in connection with inspections, worksite investigation, and negotiation
  • Partnering with corporate counsel through corporate reorganization, merger and acquisition to ensure immigration due diligence and compliance
  • Working with entrepreneurs, researchers, scientists, artists, entertainers, athletes and high net worth individuals on customized immigration experiences
  • Advising on due diligence and compliance issues, including Department of Labor related obligations, record keeping, and audit/investigation

Admitted to the state bars of New York, Colorado, and Arizona, Ceri has experience working with clients that range from Fortune 50 companies, start-up companies, U.S. branches of global corporations, and entertainers. She began her career as an attorney at a major global immigration firm’s New York City office in 2006 and practiced in New York for seven (7) years prior to joining Ogletree’s Denver office in 2013.  As an American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) active member, Ceri is a frequent presenter and has chaired AILA’s Business Immigration Continuing Legal Education committees and conferences and contributed to USCIS Service Center Liaison Committees as well as AILA’s H-1B Registration Taskforce.

Immigration, Technology
Sports and Entertainment
Learn more about Ceridwen J. Koski

Chambers USA indicates:

“She is always willing to get on the phone and explain new decisions and regulations.” “She is strong in understanding business and providing prompt and helpful advice in the context of what a business will need to know.” “She takes the time to understand the situation and takes quick actions to move things along.”

Early in her career, Ceri routinely engaged the U.S. Department of Labor while handling high volume green card (PERM) processes for a large global company. Through this work, she also managed numerous H-1B cap lottery processes, in addition to helping to secure corporate L-1 blanket petition amendments as well as L applications at various consular posts. In addition, Ceri has counseled high net-worth individuals toward the most appropriate visa options given their special circumstances, which often involved alternatives to permanent residency. Consequentially, she gained expertise successfully securing O-1 extraordinary ability visas for director and executive-level employees across industries and created a particular niche in immigration solutions for established entrepreneurs as well as emerging start-up entrepreneurs and their workforces.

Ceri has also had the opportunity to create and implement immigration programs for fast-growing multi-national corporations, from securing “new office” status for companies entering the U.S. market, to counseling them through the growing pains of both dramatic increases and decreases to their U.S. workforces. Her focus has often been identifying the most efficient and effective solutions for multi-national corporations. For example, she has engaged colleagues to counsel companies on cross-border employment situations, such as transitioning arrangements from fixed-term employment contracts to “at will” employment.

Over the years, Ceri has contributed to robust global mobility programs. While her personal expertise is in U.S. immigration, she partners with non-U.S. immigration colleagues to provide mobility solutions for assignments outside of the United States. Collaborating with mobility professionals, she offers a necessary piece to the global puzzle of worldwide rotation and assignment programs.

Education

Admittance to Practice

Professional Activities

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
  • AILA PERM Conference Chair
  • AILA USCIS California Service Liaison Committee
  • National Distance Learning Committee Business Track (Past Chair)
  • Nordic Commerce Conference, Award Nominations Chair
  • Rocky Mountain Relocation Council Membership Committee; Board of Directors (Elect)
  • AILA H-1B Registration Taskforce

Speeches

Best Lawyers Award Badge

Insights by Ceridwen J. Koski

Person writing on visa application.

USCIS Publishes FY 2023 H-1B Cap Registration Statistics

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently published fiscal year (FY) 2023 H-1B cap registration statistics, confirming that more than 48,000 prospective petitioners submitted 483,927 registrations—an approximate 57 percent increase over the number of registrations submitted in the FY 2022 filing season. USCIS selected 127,600 FY 2023 registrations in the initial lottery, representing roughly 26 percent of the total registrations.

Person writing on visa application.

DOL: Fiscal Year 2022 H-2B Updates

The H-2B program is available to employers that can demonstrate a temporary need to supplement their staffs based on a one-time, seasonal, intermittent, or peak-load need basis. The program is generally used by employers with peak busy seasons, such as hotels, amusement parks, and landscapers. The last two years have shown an increase in demand from employers requesting one-time need due to an inability to hire temporary or full-time workers within the United States.

Document layered with small American flag and blue pen.

Visa Bulletin for October 2021 Shows Only Minor Advances for Employment-Based Visa Applications

On September 13, 2021, the U.S. Department of State issued the Visa Bulletin for October 2021, which showed minor advancement on priority for backlogged filings of employment-based (EB) immigrant visa (green card) beneficiaries. The Visa Bulletin for October 2021 had been eagerly anticipated, in part due to substantial advancements seen in October 2020 that had permitted thousands of employment-based foreign nationals to file Form I-485 applications for adjustment of status to permanent residence.

Person holding open passport book.

U.S. Travel Restrictions and Delayed Consular Operations Persist as Pandemic Continues

On July 22, 2021, the Biden administration extended travel restrictions affecting travel between U.S., Canadian, and Mexican land ports of entry until August 21, 2021. In so doing, the Biden administration confirmed that it is “maintaining cross-border activities with Canada and Mexico that support health security, trade, commerce, supply security, and other essential activities while taking critical steps to protect [U.S.] citizens and to curb spread of the virus.”

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Webinars & Seminars

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